Amnesty International: Organization of Faith
The History of Amnesty International
In 1961, the Portuguese government arrested two Lisbon students for toasting to freedom. After their arrest, the men discovered assistance in a very unlikely place. A British lawyer named Peter Benenson read a short article on the incident and decided to act on the infringement of their human rights by writing an article entitled �The Forgotten Prisoners� in The Observer Weekend Review. Suprisingly, thousands of people responded to his call to protect human rights with the same furver as thousands of letters poured into his small office. As a result, Benenson created a small British organization known as Amnesty International which sought to protect prisoners of conscience. Soon, however, the overwhelming amount of cases which needed attention outgrew the bounds of the small group, so a detailing objective document was created and the membership promoted worldwide. By 1963, an international secretariat named Se�n MacBride promoted the organization to international recognition as the leader in human rights activism. Amnesty's crowning achievement came in 1977 when they were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for their �Prisoners of Conscience Year� Movement in which they collected signatures in order to appeal to the United Nations.
Today, Amnesty International participates in millions of cases for human rights all over the world based on their three main principles. These conditions include the right against torture, ill treatment, and the death penalty. Their membership has grown to over two million worldwide and includes many prominent leaders throughout society. Amnesty is active protecting both sides of the conflict in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Presently, Amnesty is working to publicize the genocide occurring in Darfur, Sudan, where thousands of �black � Africans have died in a conflict with government-backed Arabs who take their land. Now any person who is censored because of their beliefs will have the support of an award-winning organization to protect their human rights.
The Accomplishments of Amnesty International
From its creation in 1961, Amnesty International has been dedicated to the work of protecting universal human rights for al peoples of the world. Its goal is based on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document adopted by the United Nations in 1948. While it has worked for the release of such prominent leaders as Nelson Mandela, most of its work has occurred unnoticed in the most desperate situations. Amnesty has worked against genocide in Kosovo, Rwanda, and Darfur today. Undoubtedly, its greatest accomplishment occurred in 1977 when the organization was able to persuade the United Nations into accepting higher standards of human rights. This effort led to the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1977 and international prominence. The organization has played an itegrate part in trying to gain human rights for the people in China who took part in the riots of Tiananmen Square in 1989. Amnesty has had success in winning rights for women in countries such as Pakistan and China. As long as people�s human rights are infringed upon, Amnesty International will always help them defend their rights.
Faith and Amnesty International
Without Amnesty International, most people would not be able to speak out against the wrongs of the world because they would have no one to protect their human rights when the powers of the world silence them. This belief that Amnesty will protect and the knowledge that they have protected others, leads to a faith in AI to protect everyone�s human rights. In essence, Amnesty International is God�s will pushing David on against the corrupt power of Goliath. While the few who speak out, like David, defeat the corrupt Goliaths of the world on their own merit, Amnesty, like God�s Will, allows them to take the risks of fighting because both David and those who speak out know that they will be supported in times of need by a greater force. Amnesty most also have faith in its members to never cease in their attempts to gain human rights for everyone. The United Nations must have faith in Amnesty International to enforce their human rights declarations because the UN itself does not have the power. This faith must again be returned as Amnesty must believe that the UN will always work for human rights. Amnesty International is an organization built and run on faith.
